By Gretchen McIntire Every year around this time, I become rather somber. I remember my late husband Devin’s passing. I remember the lessons I’ve learned throughout the year. I remember the good times too. I try to remember to be gentler of others who weren’t exactly looking forward to the holida…

It feels so good to write 2021 and put 2020 behind us. Though the last year was dark with fires, COVID, and economic uncertainty there were times of light and laughter. Autistry ended the year with stunning success stories. We supported 20 students taking several different courses at College of Mar…

By Christa Holmans, Neurodivergent Rebel It was just after lunchtime as I started to feel the familiar stinging pain starting to creep in behind my eyes. It had been a few months since the company I worked for had moved into a new larger office upstairs. I’d already lost count of the migraines…

By Megan Amodeo You often hear “buzz” words when talking about autism  and disabled communities. There are a myriad of terms, and I won’t pretend I know everything about all of them. One word I’d like to discuss is the term “caregiver.” A caregiver can fill a number of roles, but it mo…

By Gretchen McIntire My journey from Massachusetts to North Carolina this past weekend was quite an adventure of allowing grace at each turn. Shortly before the move I fainted into the arms of my chiropractor. Sounds romantic? Not so much. He discovered that one of the reasons for my randomly som…

Poetry by Steven R. Burton Steven R. Burton from Bradford, Yorkshire loves creative writing, music, traveling and making friends. He says he is both an out-going person and a bit quiet and shy. His greatest form of expression is through his poetry where he writes about his life experiences, menta…

By Megan Amodeo I need absolutes and hard facts. I need a specific date and time. I realize that everyone wants to know when this pandemic virus will run its course. The thing is, I need to know now. I am autistic. I know that is not breaking news. “I know that, to most people, autism does not…

By Christa Holmans, Neurodivergent Rebel We have now been living in “COVID times” for almost all of 2020. When the global lockdown started in March, it would be hard to imagine we’d still be living under restrictions eight months later, but here we are. As the world has been singing “F-2020,” …

By Gretchen McIntire I’ve been spending more and more time focused on being present. I know I make far wiser decisions when I’m living in the here and now and not living in the sadness of my past or trying to squeeze into tomorrow’s mold before I’m ready for it. My recent abnormal mammogram (I…

Autistic Author Interview M.E. Purfield Mike Purfield has worked as a book reviewer, screenwriter and bookseller. He has been writing fiction for almost 20 years in horror, science-fiction and young adult genres. As a writer, he’s been very prolific and has penned numerous books in the Miki Ra…

By Christa Holmans, Neurodivergent Rebel Content Warning: This post will discuss emotional abuse, mental manipulation, and gaslighting. Readers who have experienced these events may find this topic triggering. Reader discretion is advised. The official definition of gaslighting, according…

By Gretchen McIntire Most of my life has been about saying “yes” to please everyone around me. A part of me just simply loves the idea of adding joy to others lives. Another part of me, as I have come to realize, was basing my self-worth on all of those “yes” answers. “In fact, I was terrified…

Interview by Jenny BristolIllustration by Rebecca Burgess Anthony Ryan Schmidt is a 12-year-old boy who is passionate about cars—especially model cars—and shares that passion with the world through his compelling photography. In many of his photos, due to forced perspective, the cars look life-si…

By Megan Amodeo Some people have given up on the whole idea, but I am still maintaining as much social distancing as possible. I do have several chronic health conditions that put me at a higher risk if I get COVID-19, but I worry more about my family becoming ill. There is always this anxiety lu…